


Love and Magic Now and Forevermore

by princessmelia



Series: Scientists In Love [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Cute, F/M, Fantasy, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Magic-Users
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-09 02:11:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1964994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessmelia/pseuds/princessmelia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“They’ll keep searching for her.  Leo”--she grabbed his arm-- “they won’t ever stop.  If you want to be with her, and keep her alive, we have to go.”</p>
<p>He thought about it.  He could stay in his village, the same one he’d been in since he was born.  He could keep apprenticing to be the town’s blacksmith, find a nice girl, get married, have children.  He could let Mary and Jemma run away by themselves.  After all, the guards would only be after them if their planned work.  But the future was incomplete without her.  He wanted to marry Jemma, not some other village girl.</p>
<p>“I’m ready.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love and Magic Now and Forevermore

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this all today and am actually quite proud of it. Enjoy! Day 3 of Fitzsimmons Week: Fantasy.

The stone made a small plop as it landed in the water. Leo sighed as he crouched beside the lake, tapping in more pebbles with his boot.

He’d told her not to. He didn’t know how many times he’d told her not to.

“We’re going to get caught,” Fitz said with a shaky voice as he peered out the window of the small shack.

“Of course we will if you keep pulling back the curtain,” Jemma huffed as she came over to shut it. “We’ve been doing this for a long time, Leo. We haven’t been caught yet.”

“It will happen someday.” He resisted the urge to look outside again before he moved over to the pot in the middle of the room, which was smoking. “You know what they do to magic users. They burn them.”

Jemma sighed as she added another ingredient. “We’re saving people. We won’t get caught, and we won’t get burned. And if we do, we’ll explain it’s not magic. Just medicine work.”

“They won’t believe us.” He began to pace, and Jemma quickly became distracted by it.

“I can’t focus with you being so antsy. Go home, Leo. I’ll meet up with you tomorrow.”

Now, by the lake, Leo began to pull at his hair. He should’ve stayed with her. Because now Jemma was locked in a cell in the dungeons of the castle, accused and found guilty of witchcraft, and sentenced to burn at dawn the next morning.

“Oh, Jemma…” Pushing off the ground, he did a little jump as he stood, trying to put off the inevitable. He didn’t want to. He’d never been able to live up to his namesake, the brave King Leopold. He wasn’t brave. He wanted to do anything else but what had to be done. But of course he would do it. For her, he would do anything.

He was going to save Jemma.

Which meant he was probably going to die as well.

///

“Hold on,” Mary said as Leo was explained what had happened. “You and Jemma have been practicing magic?”

“Shh,” he hushed her, moving a hand to cover her mouth. “Do you want the rescue mission to be over before it’s even started?” he hissed. Cold spit on his palm made him retract his hand.

MAry wiped her mouth before commenting, “You two always seemed to follow the laws.”

Leo rolled his eyes. Leave it to their rebellious friend to fixate on the wrong issue. “Mary, this is about Jemma. Can you help?”

The grin and twinkle in her eye were the exact things Leo normally avoided before she got them all in trouble. “I may have a plan.”

“A plan for what?” Mary’s head whipped around, brown hair hitting Leo in the face as she turned to face her father, Phil, who had just come inside.

“Nothing,” Leo answered.

Mary, however, spoke over him. “Jemma’s been arrested and we’re going to rescue her.”

Phil’s eyes narrowed at Leo who tried to straighten his shoulders under the scrutiny. Ashes covered Phil’s face from work, and his hands were callused. Phil was a scary man, when he wanted to be. He held Leo’s gaze for a few moments longer before they finally slid to Mary. “What can I do to help?”

“Do you still have that friend on the palace guards?” she asked.

Phil considered it before answering. “Grant? Yes, he works in the dungeons.”

“Perfect.” Mary smiled and turned to Leo. “Now, here’s what we do.”

Leo’s mouth hung open as Mary completed explainingher plan. “We have to leave?”

“They’ll keep searching for her. Leo”--she grabbed his arm-- “they won’t ever stop. If you want to be with her, and keep her alive, we have to go.”

He thought about it. He could stay in his village, the same one he’d been in since he was born. He could keep apprenticing to be the town’s blacksmith, find a nice girl, get married, have children. He could let Mary and Jemma run away by themselves. After all, the guards would only be after them if their planned work. But the future was incomplete without her. He wanted to marry Jemma, not some other village girl.

“I’m ready.”

///

The hood of his cloak didn’t feel like it covered enough of his face as Leo walked through the city streets. He’d always hated visiting the palace, but it was even worse at night. Too big and too criminal for Leo’s liking. The letter from Phil was tucked into his belt, and he constantly put his hand against it to reassure himself it hadn’t fallen out or been stolen. He had volunteered to visit Jemma alone, wanting to give father and daughter time to say good-byes. 

His mother had understood when he told her that he would be leaving. She’d said that she had known for a long time that Jemma was where his heart was. Her only words of advice were to stay safe and stay together. He would miss her.

Two guards stood when Fitz approached the stairs to the dungeons. “No one’s allowed down there.”

“I… I’m looking for Grant.”

“I’m Grant,” the taller man answered, stepping forward to loom over Leo. “I don’t know who you are.”

“I’m a friend of Phil’s. Here.” Leo scrambled quickly to pull out the letter, handing it to Grant and hoping the guards didn’t notice his shaking hand. The man looked doubtful, but as he read the note, his face set, and he nodded.

“Follow me.”

Their steps echoed down the corridors as they made their way to her cell. Jemma was seated in the back corner, and the shadows hid her face from his view. Her arms hugged her knees, and he could see dirt and bruises smattered across them.

Grant opened the cell before telling them they only had a few moments and walking away.

“Leo?” His arms were full of her in a second, and he held her tightly to him.

“It’s alright, Jemma. You’re going to be alright.” Pulling away from her, he could see the cuts and marks on her face, and he gently brushed over them with his thumb. “No one’s going to do this to you anymore.”

“Because I’ll be dead tomorrow,” she whispered, the tears turning her eyes bright. “You should go. I don’t want you to meet the same fate.”

“Neither of us is going to die tomorrow,” Fitz replied, his voice wobbly but passionate. “We have a plan, but you need to be ready.”

“We?”

“Mary and I. We’re going to rescue you, but it’s going to be close. And we’ll have to run, right away. No going home.”

Her face broke into a small grin, and her fingers were warm as they brushed against his cheeks. “Anywhere with you is home.”

Turning his face, he pressed his lips to the palm of her hand. “I love you, Jemma.”

“And I love you, Leo.”

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, signaling their time was almost up. “Tomorrow, watch for me. I’m going to lead you out, alright? You’re going to have to go all the way to the stake, but we’ll save you from there. Trust me?”

“Always.” She kissed his cheek, and Fitz took the opportunity to heal her worst bruise by a few whispered words. The skin healed, and he smiled.

“Love and magic now.”

“And forevermore,” she finished before Grant opened the cell to escort Leo back to the exit.

///

“Are you sure about this?” he asked Mary for the tenth time at the back of the crowd.

“Absolutely. Maybe I can even change my name when we leave. I’ve always hated Mary.”

He chuckled and shook his head. Surveying the crowd once more, he turned to her and whispered, “You remember how to use the powder I gave you?”

She nodded. “I learn quickly, remember?”

“Of course.” They nodded to each other before moving through the crowd. Leo moved into position near the stake, dagger hidden in his cloak. With a few mumbled words, he was able to prevent attention being drawn to himself as he pushed his way through the crowd.

Jemma was dragged outside soon after, and he had to catch his breath. The darkness of the dungeon had covered some of her injuries, but in daylight it was impossible to miss the fresh bruises and cuts. Anger burned in his chest. They were planning on killing her; did they really need to harm her ahead of time as well?

When Jemma’s eyes turned towards his, he dipped his head under the cloak. She took a shuddering breath as they tied the ropes and returned the nod subtly enough.

In the middle of her official sentencing, Mary set their plan into motion.

“My sister witch!” she cried. “I will punish those who dare commit such an evil wrong!” The whole crowd turned to Mary, who was still in back, near the entrance. With a flourish, she threw the powder onto the crowd, causing sparks to fly over the courtyard.

Leo seized the opportunity and leapt onto the platform, cutting quickly at the ropes that held Jemma. His hands shook, but he still managed to cut through them all before someone noticed.

“Run,” he whispered fiercely as he gathered her under the cloak, and, together, jumped off the platform.

“We won’t--” she began, but he cut her off by throwing his own powder onto the ground, sending smoke into the air. Whispering quick words, he disrobed the cloak and threw it over her. The cloak changed colors and covered her face.

“Come on.” He tugged her hand and led her through the crowd and confusion, sparks and smoke filling the courtyard.

They met with Mary in the forest nearby, horses ready to leave.

“I could only get two,” she explained as she handed the reins to Leo.

“That’s alright, we’ll share.” Putting Jemma on the front of the horse, he quickly mounted behind her, waiting for Mary beside them before taking off through the forest.

He could tell the moment Jemma relaxed, her shoulders dropping and her head leaning back onto his shoulder. “You were a hero.” She spoke quietly, so that Mary couldn’t hear.

“I…” Leo faltered, unsure of what to say. He wasn’t a hero. He’d barely had the courage to do what needed to be done. “Mary came up with the plan.”

“But you did the magic.” She placed a hand on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe Leopold is a more fitting name than you believe it to be.”

And as she settled against him, Leo began to believe that it was.


End file.
